Death Valley (KTNV) — A vintage wooden wagon and three dwelling units were damaged or destroyed by two separate fires in Death Valley National Park. According to the National Park Service, the first fire began shortly after midnight on April 4 behind the Borax Museum.
The fire destroyed a historic wooden wagon used in the 1890s to transport borax from Death Valley. An antique steam engine named “Old Dinah” that drove the wagon was near the fire but unharmed.
According to Rangers, just five wagon sets were built and deployed throughout the Twenty Mule Team era (1883-1898). Only three of them are “relatively intact”.
The wagons behind Old Dinah had “about 50% integrity,” including the original running boards and some metal hardware. A second fire was recorded on the same day, around 5:15 a.m.
Rangers reported that the fire was around 500 feet away from the first incident and harmed prefabricated housing units delivered for employee accommodation.
Nobody had moved into those condos yet, thus no one was inside when the fire started. According to the National Park Service, no one was injured, and the origin of the fires was unknown as of Friday afternoon.
The incidents are under investigation by the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshall
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